System and method for automated configuration and deployment of applications

Abstract

A system and method are described for automated configuration and deployment of applications. Each participant to a transaction maintains “connection parameters” which contain an indication of the various connection capabilities (protocols, file formats, document sequences, etc) of that participant. Prior to entering into a series of transactions (e.g., document exchanges), the connection parameters of two or more of the participants are compared to identify a common subset that are then exchanged between the participants until both participants agree on the connection parameters to use. The agreed upon connection parameters are stored within a “connection agreement” which is then used to automatically configure the applications (e.g., business collaboration applications) executed by each participant.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]This invention relates generally to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for automated negotiation and agreement, of connection parameters that are used in the configuration, deployment and operation of applications such as service-oriented applications or Web-service applications.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]The exchange of business documents such as orders and invoices between business partners is a fundamental part of commerce. For centuries these documents were exchanged in paper format. For the past 30+ years these documents have been exchanged in electronic form and in the past 5-8 years the documents have been represented in Extensible Markup Language (“XML”) and exchanged over the Internet.[0005]However, the exchange of business documents electronically requires that all the participants have software that is configured to process the documents corr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a system and method for automatically configuring and deploying applications in online transactions. Each participant in the transaction maintains a set of connection capabilities, which contain information about the various protocols and file formats they support. Before entering into the transaction, the connection capabilities of two or more participants are compared to identify a common set of connection parameters. These parameters are then stored in a connection agreement, which is used to automatically configure the applications executed by each participant. The technical effect of this system is to streamline the process of setting up and using online applications, making it easier for users to collaborate and conduct business transactions.

Problems solved by technology

If this is not done, problems will occur and the exchange of business documents will not be successful.

Although standardized approaches such as Web services can help reduce the compatibility problems mentioned above, these approaches cannot remove them entirely, given the potentially large amount of information that needs to be configured for a complex business interaction between participants.

Consequently, these difficulties are slowing the rate at which businesses collaborate by implementing the exchange of business documents electronically.

For smaller businesses the problem is severe in that they rarely have the skills or expertise required to configure the software they need.

The result is increased costs and slower rates of adoption of web services and related technologies.

As a result, using Web Services and other known technologies to build systems or connect businesses together is much harder and takes much longer than it needs to be.

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